Fun, Travel

Go on a toboggan ride in Funchal, Madeira

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The toboggan rides from the village of Monte down to Madeira’s capital Funchal, are considered by many to be one of the must-do’s on the island. TAKE THE CABLE CAR FROM FUNCHAL TO MONTE During our visit end of last year, Ellie & I decided to give it a shot. We walked to the Monte Cable Car bottom station, five minutes from the famous Mercado dos Lavradores farmers market, right next to the seaside. The queue was sizeable, maybe 30 or 40m long, but moving reasonably fast. We bought our tickets and waited. After 20 minutes, we hopped onto a cable car together with three other tourists. (This was during shoulder season, much busier during the main season.)   SPECTACULAR VIEWS ALONG THE WAY The ride up the mountain offers spectacular views across the city and the bay. When we arrived at the top, we had a look around the […]

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How to get started outdoor climbing independently

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There are all kinds of different climbers. Indoor boulderers are often amongst the best technical climbers. However, they might have no intention to put on a harness and use a rope. Some top indoor lead climbers have no interest to get started outdoor climbing. On the other end of the scale, many trad climbers are doing relatively easy routes. Only long-lasting, heavy rain will push them into an indoor gym, if that. (Trad climbing or traditional climbing is where you set your own protection, without any pre-existing bolts or anchors.)   NO ONE SAYS YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO GET STARTED OUTDOOR CLIMBING It is perfectly fine to stay indoors for all your climbing activities. However, if, like me, you are planning on using your indoor gym experience as a stepping stone and training practice for the great outdoors, then you’ll probably ask yourself at some stage: How to […]

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Fun

Best Caving Locations in England

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Ellie & I only started to do some caving about three years ago. We had come across the so-called Wild Wookey experience at Wookey Hole in the Mendips in Somerset. It turned out to be one of the best caving locations in England. The three hours underground were so much fun, we have been going caving ever since. HOUSE-KEEPING To be clear, this article is not the gospel. I have only been caving in England a dozen times so far (not counting show caves), and some of the caves below I have never been to. The Three Counties System, for example, I’m scheduled to explore month after next month. This means I have thoroughly researched it, but not entered it, so far.   Feature photo (c) BerkeleySqB; above 2 pics (c) Somerset Adventures; Where not otherwise indicated: (c) BerkeleySqB Where I haven’t visited the cave myself yet, my information comes […]

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Best Long Distance Open Water Swimming Events in and near London

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Truth be told, I’m not a great swimmer. Don’t get me wrong, you could probably drop me a few miles off the sea shore on a stormy day, and I’ll find my way back without overly exhausting myself. I like to think that I’m a strong swimmer. The thing is, it will take me a very long time to swim back. I’m just so slow. TAKING PART IN LONG DISTANCE OPEN WATER SWIM EVENTS While I’m working on improving my technique and becoming faster, for the time being, the problem still persists. So I should mention upfront that I’ve not completed a lot of long-distance open water swimming events so far. Over the years, I did take part in quite a few. RESEARCHING FOR THIS ARTICLE At those events, at my swimming club, and elsewhere, I also spoke with a lot of long-distance open water swimmers and asked them about […]

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Best Runs in and near London, from 5K Fun Runs to Marathons & Ultras

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What are the best runs in London? Ever since my mid-twenties, I try to run every day, usually 7 to 12K, 10K on average. Often I don’t run at all for lengthy periods, when my knees or feet don’t feel 100% or I’m generally under the weather. However, when I’m feeling on top of my game, you can bet I run every day. Ellie sometimes joins me running. Never for the proper daily runs. However, we sometimes go on shorter runs together and I do my run afterwards. About once per month, my wife and I do the odd organised 5 or 10K ‘fun run’ event together. I am also registered for several half marathons, one marathon, and one ultra, all in or near London, this year. Sometimes I get asked which runs I recommend. This made me think, I could do a little blog post about this topic, so […]

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